BRH 30

“No, no. It doesn’t hurt. I was just thinking how nice it would be to have a younger brother like Eun-chan. Eun-chan is really cool. Isn’t Eun-chan the coolest in the Sunshine Class?”

“Oh, how did you know? Eun-ji, Ji-woo, they all like Eun-chan!”

The child’s eyes widened as he looked at Ha Do-heon. His cheeks were rosy and slightly raised. Seeing his younger brother wriggling his feet, Song Woo-yeop sighed and put the child down on the ground.

“Eun-chan said he had something he wanted to say to Hyung.”

The child stood on his own two feet and bowed deeply to Ha Do-heon.

“Do-heon Hyung, thank you for saving our Hyung.”

“Huh? No. Woo-yeop saved Hyung? If it weren’t for Woo-yeop, Hyung would be in the hospital right now, saying ‘ouch.'”

Do-heon sat down to match the child’s eye level. The child, looking back and forth between Do-heon and his Hyung with a puzzled expression, shone brightly as if he had heard that ‘your Hyung is actually Superman.’

“Re… Really?”

“Of course, it’s true. But let’s keep this a secret. If you go around saying, ‘Woo-yeop Hyung is super strong!’ Hyung will get so busy that he won’t have time to play with Eun-chan. Eun-chan likes it the way it is now, right?”

“Yes, yes! Eun-chan will definitely keep it a secret.”

The child nodded his head vigorously and smiled, grabbing Song Woo-yeop’s pants. In the eyes of the child, whose cheekbones were high, his Hyung was Superman. Embarrassed, Song Woo-yeop scratched the back of his neck and threw a jab.

“…What are you doing, Hyung? In front of a kid….”

Woo-yeop still doesn’t know that innocence is the best for kids. It was when Ha Do-heon was touching his bear hat and getting up.

A strange and pungent sensation tickled his back. With a strange expression, he tilted his head and looked back. At that moment, Ha Do-heon was speechless.

“……”

…Why am I suddenly seeing things?

“…Woo-yeop, I think I’m hallucinating right now.”

Is it possible for something the size of an elephant to be walking around in broad daylight? In the Republic of Korea, a nation ruled by hunter law? A monster that big? Alone?

Ha Do-heon was dumbfounded as he looked at the large figure coming out of the alley. He wondered if he was seeing things wrong and pointed at the thing, intending to ask Woo-yeop. Whether it was a coincidence or not, he made eye contact with the monster head-on. The way it glared at Ha Do-heon like a bull as soon as it saw him… it was ominous.

Why is it looking at me?

“…Woo-yeop, what do you see over there?”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Song Woo-yeop, who turned around, paused for a few seconds and then jumped up from his seat. He hurriedly picked up the child and hid behind Ha Do-heon. Hiding behind me is right, but what about Hyung, Woo-yeop?

Of course, there is no place safer than behind Ha Do-heon anywhere in Korea, but wouldn’t it be better to run away now? That’s because Ha Do-heon was a B-rank hunter right now!

“Did you get any calls from the Hunter Management Bureau?”

“J-Just a moment.”

Song Woo-yeop quickly rummaged through his pockets, pulling the child’s hat down to his eyes. As soon as he took out his phone, safety alert messages poured in from all directions.

“It just came in, Hyung. A gate exploded in Geumcheon-gu today, and it seems like it came out of there. They said they haven’t caught the Gate Boss yet, and they want us to report any monsters wandering around.”

Ah, these guys can’t do their jobs properly. A monster is wandering around in broad daylight….

“From Geumcheon-gu to here… it’s come a long way. Let’s report it first.”

“Okay.”

The monster’s body, walking slowly, changed colors frequently as camouflage. Maybe it came here disguised.

The monster, which was 20 meters long, was a giant chameleon. The moment its eyes, turning at different angles, were fixed on Ha Do-heon like arrows, it opened its mouth and fired a black tongue.

Do-heon snatched Song Woo-yeop and quickly dodged to the side. The floor where they had been standing just now was dented.

“C-Crazy!”

“It’s a monster! Shit, it came out of the gate!”

“Run away! Run away back there!”

“Where did it explode! They haven’t sounded the alarm yet!”

“Where the hell is it….”

People who found the monster screamed and started running away all at once. Many people abandoned their cars and ran around in confusion. In an instant, the street swept by screams and horns became deserted.

‘That looks like… about a Rank 4.’

But they couldn’t get rid of it? Is it possible that the hunters didn’t notice anything while it was coming here? Ah, those Hunter Management Bureau bastards….

The chameleon, turning its body back and forth again, looked at Ha Do-heon and opened its mouth wide. At that moment, Do-heon had a strange question.

Most monsters are quick to avoid Ha Do-heon’s eyes, but this one isn’t.

Just in case, he also sneezed loudly, but unlike the other guys who would freak out even at the sound of his breath, this guy didn’t budge. Ha Do-heon clenched his fist tightly and raised his arm.

Should I hit it once and blow it away-

There are too many CCTVs! In this case, just-.

‘Lime.’

I have no choice but to use Lime.

The lens that popped out of his eye soon turned into a human figure. Lime, who had turned into a young man, kicked the chameleon’s flank with his foot.

Kwaang-!

With terrifying force, the guy flew away with great momentum, broke three utility poles, and stopped.

Ha Do-heon quickly checked the escape route while holding Song Woo-yeop and the child. Then, suddenly, when the monster, which had melted the utility poles and got up, stood up wriggling.

“That is….”

He witnessed the disgusting flesh-shaped crown rising on the monster’s back. He had definitely seen it before. Thinking about it carefully, yes, he had seen it rising on the head of the scorpion Boss when he was fighting it in the Upgraded Dungeon.

Come to think of it, the scorpion Boss also didn’t seem to fear Ha Do-heon at all, just like the chameleon.

‘There’s something going on here.’

Let’s go somewhere without CCTVs first. That way, I can kill it or beat it, or dig into its head to find out information.

“Woo-yeop, is there a quiet place nearby with no people?”

“There’s a mixed-use complex construction site nearby… But what are you going to do, Hyung.”

Another construction site? But now was not the time to be picky.

“U-Um, tell me the location first. You guys go down to the subway… No. It’s safest next to me, so let’s go together.”

Ha Do-heon pulled Song Woo-yeop up and urged him to guide the way. Song Woo-yeop, looking back and forth between the chameleon and Ha Do-heon with anxious eyes, braced himself and moved, holding his younger brother.

“Lime, lure it this way!”

Gurgle!

The moment Ha Do-heon moved, the chameleon also moved. The guy seemed to have set his target on Ha Do-heon from the beginning, and he licked the wall with his tongue and quickly followed.

Is it because he’s 4 years old in Korean age, so he knows everything? The child suddenly raised his head in Song Woo-yeop’s arms, who was running hard. And he pointed to the direction of his house with his chubby finger.

“Bo, Boby is at home too. I don’t want Boby to get hurt….”

“Boby? Who’s Boby?”

“That’s… the puppy we’re raising, a Samoyed. It’s been 7 months now, someone abandoned it in the alley, so we’ve been raising it for a month.”

“Oh, is that so? But Eun-chan, it’ll be okay.”

Do-heon smiled, looking at the child who only showed his eyes over his Hyung’s shoulder. Even in the situation where the monster was following, the child was bravely holding on to his Hyung.

“If you close your eyes tightly and count 100 tigers, Woo-yeop will let you go home. There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Yes!”

I’ll make it happen. I’ll take responsibility for your home, for the two of you who are so close. No matter what happens.

“Hyung, it’s up ahead!”

Song Woo-yeop pointed to a dark construction site. Whether it was because the construction was stopped due to payment issues, the torn banner and the tightly closed entrance were a mess with all kinds of waste. Entering through the half-open door, they entered a building with only the foundation built.

“You stay here with Eun-chan.”

“What about Hyung? It’s dangerous. If it’s about buying time, I’d rather-.”

“No, you have to protect your younger brother. And you know.”

Ha Do-heon raised his hand. He had never brought it up first since that day, but Song Woo-yeop would know that Ha Do-heon killed the Boss in the Upgraded Dungeon. Because Ha Do-heon was the one standing facing the Boss at the last moment.

“Don’t worry.”

Do-heon smiled, ruffling Song Woo-yeop’s hair roughly. It’s something that can be finished quickly. Ha Do-heon has enough power to do that.

“Instead, you have to keep your mouth shut.”

“…Okay.”

Hiding them under the window, Do-heon came out of the construction site building. Looking around, there didn’t seem to be any CCTVs. Good.

Just in time, the chameleon, which had climbed over the wall, rolled its eyes and spotted Ha Do-heon. A toad-like mouth opened and a large amount of acidic liquid was spewed out. Ha Do-heon nimbly dodged and flew into the air, raising his hand straight.

It was too strong last time, so let’s lower it a bit this time!

[Aberrant Cell Release 1%.]

If I just strike down on its head like this-!

But Ha Do-heon couldn’t help but see it. Lime, who was waving his hands frantically behind the monster with a pale face. What? No? Uh, th, uh…!

It was already too late. Ha Do-heon’s hand blade was directly hitting the monster’s head, and he had come too far to stop.

Thwack-!!!

After the loud noise of a rock breaking, the chameleon’s eyes popped out as if they were about to fall out. The monster’s mouth, with its head crushed, was crumpled downwards. At the same time, the monster’s huge body plummeted to the ground like a harpoon.

Kwakwakwakwang-!

Crack crack crack-!